Writing

There is one word that’s the most important word in any persuasive presentation: You.

If my speech or presentation is about me, it may have interest, if it’s a good story, but if it’s about you … out there in the audience … there is nothing more interesting on earth! To you at least! Right?

Right!

The most important thing I learned on my journey to speaking professionally is that my presentation belongs to my audience. Now, I might have personal stories to illustrate a point, but the point has to relate to my audience … you. It has to, to be of interest and for me to be successful.

In fact, the objective of any talk has to center on your audience. If you’re Read More …

Features and benefits – two key elements of any sales course. After all, understanding them and the differences between them is part of the foundation of making a sale.

If you want to be persuasive, benefits have to be at the core of your presentation – the tastier the better. Let me explain:

If you’re like me, you learned earlier on that …

features are what a product has; benefits are what it does.

But sometimes, what you think are benefits aren’t. They’re often not personal enough. They’re not compelling. To REALLY sell, your benefits have to be specific. They have to give your audience a specific gain . . . one they can personally feel, or imagine.

Introductions. They’re incredibly important to a speaker’s success. Bad ones can be like watching a slow motion train wreck. Because the speaker ends up spending half their speech trying to recover from it. Ow!

And that’s why professional speakers provide their own. And when they do, if you’re the MC, it’s important that you rehearse it and deliver it the way it’s written. Because it sets the tone.

If you’re writing an intro, there are 3 questions – three W’s it needs to answer: What, Why Now and Why This speaker.

First … what. What is the speech or talk about (without giving away too much). Make sure you relate it in terms your audience will understand. This part is pretty straightforward.

When I speak to a group, I try to speak in seven minute segments MAX. That’s Magic Time! Because after seven minutes of information battering our little brains, our eyes roll back in our heads and we shut down.

And where has this come from? Television, of course. Because a program segment is about 7 minutes … then there’s a commercial .. unless you zap it .. but you’re still programmed to take a break.

Today, attention spans are getting even shorter. So, it depends on your audience. The younger, the shorter … generally.

The point is, “think in modules.” If your talk is longer than 10 minutes, you need to break it up. It should be at least a two or three module talk. That Read More …

Here’s a video that I created for a client a few months ago that serves to illustrate a persuasive structure for any type of presentation, email, letter, phone call, etc. It’s only two minutes long (that was actually a requirement).

The presentation was a key element of a larger package that secured a $400K grant. Tecterra was the funding organization (the “client” in this case). There were four grants available and over 70 contenders.

Hopefully, you can pick out the key elements in the structure. They can be subtle, because you want the presentation to flow.

First, start with what your audience knows. Usually it centres around the problem. That’s usually the one thing we can all relate to—the thing that’s making us Read More …

Let’s talk about the boss. I know, not your favourite subject. You know how your boss wants the details in 30 seconds or less. “Cut the small talk … give me the results.”

Well, most of the time, so does your audience. Now, what I mean by this is that your audience doesn’t want to be left guessing about what point you’re trying to make. They will be if you start with all the details first – or if you begin with a story that meanders around the main point.

So, let’s say I want to get my boss to purchase a new office printer, as the current one is slow and constantly breaks down. That’s what this particular presentation is Read More …

There is nothing quite like a beautiful body. Perfect form and an end that sells the whole package.

Hey, I’m talking about presentations!

Your presentation can take a number of different forms. You’ll find a list of the most common ones here. For more in-depth information and examples of how to use them, you’ll have to take my online, self-paced video course, Persuasive Presentations 2.0.

Persuasive presentations always have a strong open and close – they’re the most important parts of your presentation … but the middle of your presentation is called “the body” and it has to be “just right.” It’s where you get the chance to really be persuasive.

The body is where you make your key points. And the beauty Read More …

About Peter

With over thirty-five years in advertising, marketing, and television, Peter brings a wealth of knowledge and business experience to any situation. From the top retailers like The Bay, to Canada’s largest energy multinationals, Peter has been at the forefront ...